The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a blowout loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday as their starting pitching woes grew worse.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the team’s most effective and most reliable starter this season, was unable to complete an inning as he gave up three earned runs in the first and forced the team to rely on its heavily taxed bullpen. And as the Dodgers scramble for healthy arms, they are seeing two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani struggle at the plate as he works back to the mound.
“The big question, to this point, is how much Ohtani’s return to pitching has impacted his potency with the bat,” Jack Harris noted for the Los Angeles Times. “At various points since June 10, when Ohtani ramped up to three innings in his final simulated live session before returning to game action as a pitcher, (manager Dave) Roberts has noted some normal instances of fatigue that Ohtani has felt. The slugger’s hitting numbers have ticked down in that span as well, with Ohtani batting only .239 since that day.”
Harris added that Ohtani’s exit velocity and swing speed have both seen incremental drops since he ramped up his return to the mound and that he’s 0-for-12 with less hard contact than usual in days after he pitches.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JUNE 27: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts on deck in the first inning during a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on June 27,… Sloter/Getty
However, Ohtani has demonstrated elite velocity and command in his limited starts as a pitcher and the Dodgers are pretty desperate for an additional arm, so the team seems committed to working him back to a starter’s workload even as it seems to take a toll on his offense.
“It will, nonetheless, be a dynamic the Dodgers closely monitor as Ohtani continues to try and maximize his dual talents,” Harris added. “The longer his offensive numbers drag down, the more caution the club could exercise in his long-term pitching plan.”
Roberts sent a confident message on the two-way phenomenon while acknowledging it will be a trend worth watching.
“I think he’s still taking good at-bats,” Roberts said, per Harris. “I still don’t mind where he’s at right now.”
As the Dodgers look to stretch Ohtani out as a bona fide starter ahead of a playoff run, they’ll be keeping an eye on his analytics at the plate. Even as badly as they need him on the mound, they can’t afford to lose his team-leading bat.
